Optoelectronics

Higher education teachers: Krč Janez
Collaborators: Lipovšek Benjamin

Subject description

Prerequisits:

• to take part in the course: enrolment in the third academic year of the first cycle
• fundamental knowledge on semiconductor devices

Content (Syllabus outline):

The contents of the subject consists of the following chapters:

• INTRODUCTION: challenges and trends in Optoelectronics
• LIGHT: short revision of models of light, propagation, light and matter, complex refractive index, reflection, refraction, scattering, colour spaces
• OPTICAL SOURCES: generation of light, overview of optical sources
  • Light emitting diodes (LED): direct semiconductors, spontaneous emission, LED structures, technology, optical and electrical characteristics, examples of driver circuits, organic LED (OLEDs)
  • Lasers: operational principle, stimulated emission, main parts of a laser, optical amplification and losses, spectrum and shape of the output beam, applications of lasers
  • Laser diodes: structures, PN, DH, DBR, DFB VCSEL LD, applications
• PHOTODETECTORS: detection of light in semiconductor, semiconductor photodetectors (pn, pin, heterodiode, avalance, phototransistor), circuits with photodetectors, operational principles and structures of CCD, CMOS and a-Si:H detector arrays
• DISPLAYS: structure and operation of LCD, LED, plasma and OLED displays, 3D displays
• OPTICAL FIBERS: guiding light in a fiber, single and multimode fibers, attenuation, dispersion, non-linear effects
• PHOTOVOLTAICS: trends, solar spectrum, radiation and irradiation, how a solar cell work, technologies of solar cells and photovoltaics modules, photovoltaic systems, steps design of a solar power plant, examples
• 6 tasks are conducted from the above mentioned topics within the practice work of the course. One of them is elective and is carried out in the research Laboratory of Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics.

Objectives and competences:

• to acquire the knowledge on operational principles of contemporary optoelectronic devices,
• knowledge on state-of-the-art structures of optoelectronic devices and technologies,
• practical usage of optoelectronic devices (within practical work).

Intended learning outcomes:

• fundamental knowledge on optoelectronics,
• understanding of operational principle and usage of optoelectronic devices,
• abilities to design basic circuits with optoelectronic devices,
• pre-knowledge for further studies of other optoelectronic devices and systems.

Learning and teaching methods:

• lectures (mostly slides),
• practice work (hands on, before written examination different tasks are solved together).

Study materials

1. J. Krč, Prosojnice predavanj/ Slides of lectures, dopolnjujejo se vsako leto/ update each year
2. B. E. A. Saleh, Fundamentals of photonics, Wiley, 2007.
3. J. P. Dakin, R. G. W. Brown, Handbook of optoelectronics, CRC Press 2006.
4. F. G. Smith, T. A. King, D. Wilkins, Optics and Photonics - An Introduction, Wiley, 2007.
5. A. Luque, S. Hegedus, Handbook of photovoltaic science and engineering, Wiley, 2011.